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Austrian (Civ3)/Civilopedia
Austria, located in lower Central Europe north of the Balkans, first coalesced as a nation in the early Middle Ages by the margrave Leopold of Babenberg, a regional noble who in the 10th century C.E. pushed the Magyars from that area and formalized a system of common law. But it was not until three hundred years later that Austria would take the first steps towards great power status. A Hungarian noble, Otakar II, took advantage of a succession dispute in 1254 and married into the Babenberg line. As a response, the German nobility in Bavaria and elsewhere felt concerned, and began a long campaign to undermine and eventually depose Otakar. The German army's commander, a relatively obscure noble from a minor family, was then elected king of Germany to reward his successes. His name was Rudolf of Hapsburg. The Hapsburgs would become one of Europe's most powerful families; the seat of their power was Austria. In 1519 Martin Luther posted his famous 95 Theses, and at the time the Hapsburg emperor was {Charles V}, a devout Catholic and harsh ruler. Forced to rule two essentially foreign countries -- Austria and Spain -- Charles did his best, but made many mistakes and alienated many nobles before he was able to successfully ride two of Europe's strongest horses at once. Moreover, Charles' fervent opposition to Protestantism as well as his well-founded concerns regarding the Hapsburg rights in western Europe diverted his attention from the threat of the Ottoman Turks (whose ships already ruled the Mediterranean). He used severe measures to put down rebellions in lower Austria and in the Netherlands, and even allowed an unpaid and hungry army to sack Rome over a grudge against the Pope. Nonetheless, Charles dealt successfully with a huge number of threats, minor and major, to the Austrian empire, and he also managed to keep the Turks at bay. He even managed to expand the empire, by acquiring the Portuguese succession rights. His greatest ambition, to bring all Protestants back into the Church, was obviously a failure, although he made several sincere (and even nonviolent) attempts to bring this about. After Charles' death, the empire steadily grew, adding Bohemia to the northeast. The new Emperor, Ferdinand, wished to extend his influence and rule further into Germany. The result was the Thirty Years' War, in which the great powers of Europe took advantage of religious strife to expand their influence. Austria did not do well in the end, and lost territory and huge amounts of money in the war and ensuing treaty. Austria continued to play a major role in European and world politics through the nineteenth century, attempting to slow the rise of Prussia in Germany, and acting as a key member of the coalition opposing Napoleon. The Austrian army adopted the style and dress of the Hungarian light cavalry, and these fast, deadly horsemen came to be known as {hussars}. Hussars quickly became part of virtually every European army's order of battle, and some still fight today. Since 1700 Austria has been (and remains) a focal point of European culture and learning. History's greatest composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, created his works for the Austrian emperor. The Vienna Circle, an influential group of philosophers and mathematicians, sparked the "logical positivist" movement, which sought to unify philosophy with natural science. At the same time, the economist Carl Menger founded the Austrian school of economics, which emphasized qualitative analysis of human action. The first among many of the twentieth century's tragedies began in Austria, with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serbian nationalists. When the Serbian government refused Austria's outrageous demands, Austria declared war on Serbia. This sparked the chain of events leading to World War I, which would consume millions of lives and leave Europe's great empires in ruins and revolution. The Hapsburg empire was no exception, and its final collapse came at this time. After World War I, Central Europe was broken into many different countries. Austria was ruled by a series of authoritarian regimes until it was annexed by one even moreso -- Hitler's Germany. After a period of military rule, Austria became a full-fledged republic in 1955. Today Austria is known as a repository of European culture and tradition, despite its struggles with its Nazi past; its churches and universities are among Europe's most prestigious, especially in the arts.Category:Civilopedia